Cerberus Daily News - January 2014
For canon information, see the Mass Effect Wiki page for Cerberus Daily News. This page is for CDN members' non-canon additions.''The following stories contributed by Cerberus Daily News forum members were published on the CDN newsfeed during January 2014. See the main Cerberus Daily News page for current updates. January 2014 - Week Two 01/06/14 - CITADEL Tayseri Docking Collision Kills 12, Injures Hundreds Tayseri Ward residents were rocked this morning as an explosion hit the starboard sections of levels 18 through 23, causing at least 12 deaths, hundreds of injuries, and an unestimated amount of damage. According to C-SEC reports, the explosion was caused by a collision between two shipping frigates near the level 20 Tayseri loading dock. "We're not sure what happened," Tayseri Port Authority Manager Gallifrex Manarviak told the press. "All we can say is that the explosion seems to have occurred through operator failure - all docking equipment and navigation software is currently working normally." Despite this, the Citadel Docking Port Authority has temporarily closed down all major shipping and routing docks on Tayseri Ward, and citizen aircar and shuttle docking has been limited until the damage has been assessed. C-SEC is currently ruling the event an "accident." "We're still investigating the damaged area, but as far as we can tell, this appears to have been an accident," C-SEC investigator Rrurak Harkran told the press. "We'll release more information as it is revealed. Until that time, we advise all residents of the Citadel to be careful in traveling between the wards." Harkran also advised citizens to use the Presidium rather than rely on air traffic, but that increased travel through the wards would caused delays. At the current time, it is unknown how many more injured individuals or deaths are within the disaster radius. If you have missing friends or relatives who lived in the area, please call Citadel Search and Rescue at 345.32.912.345, C-SEC at 225.12.123.000, or the Green Star at 543.23.566.324 January 2014 - Week Three 01/13/14 - Omega Tech Expo News! Breaking Technology! ''Cross-Linked from Tech4TheMasses Good morning/afternoon/evening, wherever you may be, and welcome to T4TM’s live coverage of the annual Omega Tech Expo! We’ve got some great stories and showcases coming your way from our wide-eyed crew of interns, who’ve spent the last six hours exploring every nook and cranny of this demo floor looking for the best and brightest upcoming gadgets, gizmos, and revolutionary innovations! Now, as you may not be aware, this is the first major tech expo since the Reaper War, and we were all expecting to see some truly spectacular breakthroughs as a result of the galaxy being overrun by technologically superior elder gods. It’s also the first expo of this kind to be held on Omega in which any major Citadel corporations and research groups are participating, which gives it a scale and scope not many others can hope to match. We certainly haven’t been disappointed! By following the various links scattered throughout this feed, you can read more about any mentioned technology and in many cases see recorded demonstrations straight from the floor! Whether you’re looking for the latest repulsor tech, new and innovative hardsuit designs, the latest revolutions in FTL engine manufacturing, or just a frying pan that won’t burn your pancakes, T4TM’s coverage of the OTE is the place to be! For now, keep your eyes glued to that monitor, we have an interview coming up with one of the more remarkable independents at the show! *** Ankhryptor Hello hello everybody, this is Ankhryptor coming to you from the independent floor, where I’ve secured some very valuable time with TechOptryx, who’s here with some really amazing nanotech. Tell us a little more about it, Techie. TechOptryx Uh, Ankhryptor? That’s seriously- oh, you’re using a screen name. Okay, uh, don’t do that for me – screen names aren’t really meant for publicity and %^&$, especially if you’re going to call me ‘Techie’. I mean, seriously, I do not like that at all. I’m Jil’Korah, Jil for short. As for the tech… Well, it’s uh, surprisingly simple. Basically I took some nanobots and developed a network interface that lets them share and collate information. Ankhryptor So while I obviously know exactly what that means and understand the staggering implications, mind clearing it up a bit for our less-savvy viewers? Jil Um. Okay… Sticking to strictly what I’m displaying here today, these are nanocameras. Each one is so small that it can only take in a tiny bit of information, which is why nanocameras typically suck. They’ve been tried a few times but the hardware is limited and the picture is usually grainy and horrible and so on and so on because it’s hard to include both a camera and a transmitter and the processing power to comprehend what’s going on. What my network interface does is it lets each nanobot work within its own limitations, then collects the data and forms it into a cohesive whole, so uh, you can actually get something useful out of it. Ankhryptor Ohhhhhhh. Jil Yeah. So you can unleash a cloud of nanocams and within seconds have a complete three-dimensional image of a space, and since there’s millions of them it’ll be fully detailed and the network design keeps that up-to-date. Then you can pair that with a basic VI – say for security work, if you need to monitor an area – a VI to record and keep track of who/what’s in a room at a given time. Lots of other applications, of course… I developed it for my own scavenger work, since you don’t always know what a wreck looks like on the inside and while I love my mapping drones, they’re basically limited to areas you can get into yourself anyways. Ankhryptor That seems useful, but it doesn’t really touch on the staggering implications, does it? I mean, since word got out about this stuff you’ve had all sorts of visitors here at the show, and I practically had to beat them back with a stick just to get this interview. Jil I was wondering how you got here, ‘Ankhryptor’. Anyways, yeah, lots of interest from lots of different people – strictly sticking to the nanocam functionality, which is baseline compared to what’s possible, there’s been a lot of interest from the medical field and, of course, security, which is why I used that as an example. Those’re both interested because it could integrate with their existing systems pretty much flawlessly thanks to the type of data it’s outputting, but the really interesting stuff comes in when you factor in that this interface seriously increases the processing power available to individual nanobots, a bit like cloud computing, which is kinda funny because they’d usually be distributed in something like a cloud, I guess? Ankhryptor Hahahahahah, classic. Jil (silence) Ankhryptor So what are some of the other potential uses? Jil Well, if you swap the camera functionality out for other tech, almost anything. Simple sensors take up less space, and the beauty of the network interface is that it’ll work on any kind of nanobot and you can program in the variables. One idea I’ve been toying with myself is self-repairing armor, since you could punch the envirosuit specs into the VI running the network and it’d use nanobots to maintain those wherever possible, which is actually a bit similar to some of the potential medical applications beyond just diagnosis – like, you could inject a bunch of nanobots and they’d clear out someone’s lungs of contaminants or whatever, all based on a VI telling them what it’s supposed to look like in there. It’d potentially work on almost anything, though obviously that’s a long way off. Ankhryptor No way. Jil …What network did you say you were with again, ‘Ankhryptor’? You’re one of their regular correspondents, yes? Ankhryptor T4TM, Tech 4 The Masses. And I will be after this! Jil Uh, sure. Anyways, since the obvious next question is about what kind of setbacks I expect, I’ll go ahead and pretend you asked that. Biggest issue is nanoreplication – nanotech is tightly controlled in Citadel space and parts of the Terminus, so there’s not a lot of facilities around that can produce a ton of them for multipurpose stuff. I uh, have a source, which I can’t reveal for legal reasons, but unless there’s some change in the laws, this stuff will stay on the fringe of acceptability until the benefits outweigh the risks. Ankhryptor Risks? What kind of risks? Jil Okay seriously, you’re an intern, stop interrupting. Nanotech is risky because they’re microscopic and hard to detect unless you’re looking for them specifically, and they’re easy to weaponize. Thing is, everybody who wants to weaponize them already can or has – the Hegemony did it, and so far as we know they didn’t use it to destroy any planets, and there are enough warlords and arms dealers sitting on old batarian stockpiles that these things are out there and available and given that, there’s no point denying ourselves the advantages they could bring, right? Ankhryptor (silence) Jil You should be asking a followup question. Ankhryptor Oh, uh, right. Sooooooo… What about like, power sources? Jil Good question. Seriously, no sarcasm at all, good question. There’s a few basic approaches, all of which require the laws on nanotech to be lightened. Nanobots die pretty quickly if they’re running on internal power because that power source is by definition tiny. You can prevent that by having them draw power from their environment somehow – make them out of an energy-absorbent material for example and they could last indefinitely just on ambient. That gets expensive though and by definition you need millions or billions – probably trillions – of these things to accomplish anything really cool so it’s pricy. Second option is to invest lots of time and money into finding a better internal power source. Tried eezo, it doesn’t work, for the record, so skip that one. Third option, best by far, is to constantly refresh the supply of nanobots, gets around the power issue entirely. I can’t get into how to do this since it’d probably count as aiding and abetting terrorism or forbidden technology or some such, but economy of scale would make that tech available if, again, they lightened the restrictions on nanotech. Ankhryptor Wow. Well uh, I think that’s all my questions answered? So we’re going to head to another exhibit to see what’s on display. Thanks for your time, Techie! Jil I told you not to call me that you-Ends *** Join us here on T4TM next time for an exclusive look at that frying pan, and don’t miss the rest of our exclusive coverage from the Omega Tech Expo! 01/15/14 - EARTH Leaders of the 'Standard-bearers' Recognized for Domestic Philanthropy Efforts via Macario Azevedo, Tayseri Times TOKYO In what many are calling a significant turning point for the growing political movement, Mr.’s Khorshid Shahbazi and Isaac Algard along with Ms. Chandrabhaga Sathe and Chairwoman L Thi Mai jointly received the Masaru Matsumoto Philanthropic Award today for their extensive investment and direct involvement in a number of Earth’s most devastated regions; namely the Latin America-Central and South East-Pacific administrative zones. And, according to recently released reports by the office of Admiral Hackett, their work has not been without tangible effect: if the current rate of reconstruction and rehabilitation continues the national blocs are expected to break the Sixty Five Percent barrier by close of the the second and third fiscal quarters of 2189 respectively. A welcome change from the much more conservative reports released early last year that placed said dates closer to late 2192 if, indeed, at all. “Truly, these men and women have honored my father’s legacy of charity and hospitality,” stated Matsumoto Junko, CEO of Matsumoto Technologies during her presentation speech. “To all those who would doubt the power, or reach of human kindness, I say that one only need to look to people such as these to have their faith reaffirmed.” However the selection of the recipients has drawn no small amount of criticism and ire from watchdog groups such as the popular blog EyeOnTheSkies; which, in a recent post, drew attention to the party’s connections with the SA military, steadfast backing of the Systems Alliance Transitional Authority on Earth, as well as the party’s recent absorption of a substantial number of Terra Firma moderates. Accusing the organization as a spiritual successor to the ill-fated group, the essay has already seen widespread distribution across the extranet. In an interview with the Times the Chairwoman acknowledged the accusations, though reaffirmed her adherence to what she believes to be the party’s basic tenets and organizational discipline. “Our motive is not and has never been one of xenophobia or hate. Hate is born of fear and misunderstanding and I find that all three make for a poor seat from which to make decisions on policy. What we support, what we have always supported is a strong, self reliant humanity that can engage with its allies and colleagues such as the Hierarchy and Clans on equal terms. And we believe that the key to this rests within the preservation of the myriad of human cultures against exterior erosion, a strong national navy and marine corps, a secure colonial network, and the growth of domestic industries.” A retired Rear Admiral of the SAN Third Fleet who served during the Mindoir Incursions and subsequent crackdowns in the Skyllian Verge; Ms. L Thi Mai was elevated to a position of some prominence during the Reaper War; primarily for her actions in coordinating and leading resistance forces in the South East Asian theater. She is credited with overseeing the evacuations of Hanoi and Tokyo as well as organizing a number of successful guerrilla actions over the course of the conflict. In the same interview Chairwoman indicated that the Standard-Bearers would be both capable and interested in participating in the SA Parliamentary elections at the conclusion of the Five Year Plan, citing party discipline, the self evident results of their work, and an amenable political atmosphere. “Frankly,” stated Ms. L Thi Mai, “I like our chances.” 01/19/14 - BREAKING Contact With Nubian Reestablished, Preparations Set for Formal Reintegration Wikia a''dministrator's note: Mention of indigenous races in the original article has been replaced with local populations, as to observe board rules.'' via Hiveriex Asaida, Tayseri Times TEFNUT As the naval garrisons around the relays are eased and the first government and private ships enter the picture that is emerging is one of a region dramatically changed. Historically a vast, largely contested portion of the galaxy the Attican of today is, if still fiercely divided, at least marginally less bloody. After the Crucible Event two years prior and the collapse of the first galactic network the Traverse was fragmented. The dozens of secondary relays that bound worlds and sectors together gone, critical trade routes severed; a thriving, constantly shifting economy, still recovering from the damage sustained over the course of the Reaper War killed. Here, as in many places across the galaxy, many places which are still cut off from greater civilization as a whole, survival was difficult and progress had stagnated. Human and batarian planets were stranded together in the same clusters, bereft of all exterior support. Local populations, geth reserves and PMCs shattered and confined. But what occurred next was an unprecedented chain of events: multiple, corroborated accounts indicate that the Reaper battlegroups within the region worked from the outside in as it were; versus the pattern identified thus far of the interconnection of principal population centers followed by the colonies. Secondary relays were the first repaired, the process originating in clusters such as the Hades Nexus and Armstrong Nebula and progressing inwards towards the Nubian Expanse. Forming a distinct regional subnetwork with the Nubian at its core, a colossal trading hub. One that shortly came to be dominated by a number of shipping companies and cartels, merchant families, and independent trade Republics. Emerging to keep the peace and maintain the flow of credits and goods each maritime state maintains sovereign, if frequently coexistent routes, their own infrastructure, merchant marine, and security forces. Within the Traverse and Verge it is these groups that control the relays; peripheral and subordinate entities vying for larger shares of the network as their larger cousins seek to maintain parity with their fellows. Yet, as arguably cutthroat as the Traverse remains, there have been a number of undeniable improvements: a significant number of the titanic stations above Tefnut have been repaired or are already in the process of reconstruction, and critical resources are being ferried easily and efficiently from star system to star system, alleviating the strain on internal logistics systems and allowing dozens upon dozens of worlds to persist as core manufacturing and agricultural worlds are restored to pre-War conditions. The vast majority of Traverse based merchant empires and republics have responded to exterior requests for access favourably. The station of Sevenfold Cataracts, already a neutral meeting ground for the various organizations to settle disputes, is hosting talks between interested factions such as the Confederacy, Systems Alliance, and Consensus as well as a bevy of PMCs, corporations, and Terminus States alongside the current rulers of the region. The office of Admiral Hackett issued a statement supporting cordial relations with the nations therein reading “access to the Verge and our colonies there through conventional Relay travel provides critically needed support for our efforts on Earth and throughout humanity’s holdings. Our goal is to reach a diplomatic agreement in as short a time as possible while maintaining the primacy of our natural interests; we feel confident that we will meet said goal with time to spare.” A sentiment echoed by many. Stated a geth program that wished to be identified as Armada, “Contemporary evidence indicates that positive increases in material/diplomatic connectivity between disparate states yields a multiplicity of notable benefits including easing of security demands, increased general standard of living, and economic stability.” Primary relays connect with the network at the Ninmah Cluster, Pangaea Expanse, Exodus Cluster, and Kite’s Nest. Standardized Relay Passes as issued by the RTA are valid for use where applicable. January 2014 - Week Four 01/20/14 - EARTH Wong Memorial Scholarship Awarded to Budding War Reporter via Tomoyo Ito, Alliance News Network TORONTO The Alliance News Network is pleased today to reveal Acarapi Nima as the first recipient of the Emily Wong Memorial Scholarship. Ms. Wong’s famous Chirpr feed showed the rest of the galaxy what was happening on earth via Quantum Entanglement Communicator. Wong’s coverage revealed mass conversion centers, the reaper’s systematic attacks on public institutions, and shed some insight into reaper energy weapons. Sadly, Ms. Wong perished after the Reapers were able to trace the QEC to her skyvan. In an act of defiance, Emily Wong sent herself, her van, and the QEC into a head on collision with a Reaper. The Alliance News Network honors Ms. Wong’s dedication to journalism in death with the Emily Wong Memorial scholarship, awarding it to budding young journalists who have gone above and beyond the call to delivering the news. Their first recipient is Acarapi Nima, age 19. Acarapi Nima is native to Cusco, Peru, where he is the elder brother to his two siblings, Adriana and Agata Nima. Unfortunately, their parents, Irene and Luiz Nima were killed during the first few days of the reaper invasion. Nima, accompanied by a camera drone and sisters, documented the Peruvian war effort. The documentary, titled “Angel Custodio”, covers events ranging from the day of the invasion to the eventual failure of the resistance and subsequent fall back into Bolivia. After the war, Nima submitted over four hundred hours of footage to the Alliance News Network, seeking an avenue to publish his work. In light of his efforts, the ANN decided to award him with the scholarship. “Emily Wong was a true hero to both humanity and her profession. To be considered for this award is an honor alone, but to actually win it... I can only hope to live up to the example set by Ms. Wong.” Acarapi Nima will be studying Journalism at the recently reopened University of Florida, after which he plans to seek employment with the Alliance News Network. January 2014 - Week Five 01/28/14 - TECH Ancient Treasures: Within the World of Archeotech Trading by Talasoi Vilb, Tayseri Times Sevenfold Cataracts, Tefnut - With this morning’s sale of the Kazakerak Armors aboard Cataracts Station the merchant cartels of the Traverse have taken the first steps in establishing something of a rarity in the normally shadowy and intensely secretive world of the galactic Prothean and pre-Prothean era technology exchange. Namely, an entirely licit marketplace. The aversion to such an institution is, historically, one born of necessity. Virtually any and all uncoverings of the mechanisms, technologies, and data collectively and colloquially referred to as “archeotech” have been pursued by governments from across the galaxy, non-state actors such as megacorporations and mercenary companies, and private individuals or institutions with access to the requisite resources. The value of these objects is largely linked to their laterality: while not inherently superior to modern technology on an objective basis, different patterns of mechanical evolution over different eras have a distinct tendency to produce items and objects whose functionality can circumvent or effectively “outmaneuver” their contemporary counterparts. Small and heavy arms, personal objects, apparel, and augmentics (among the most frequently recovered examples) can afford alternative methods of defense, attack, mobility, and sensory capability than the commonly established; circumventing current day tools and techniques in the process. Larger and more impressive examples such as the Prothean Beacons, while extremely rare, have opened up entire new fields of study and enhanced existing development. Since the Crucible Event at the conclusion of the Reaper War and the revelations concerning the fall of the Prothean Empire, interest in acquiring said pieces has experienced a resurgence. Sets of equipment like the famed Kazakerak are but the tip of a massive, multibillion credit, iceberg. “The crucial step in understanding the importance of these items beyond the strictly academic lies in the acknowledgement of their practical applications and, in all honesty, their esoteric appeal,” stated Setk Vasra’shalk whose trading house, Asil Gazi Osil, handled the Kazakerak trade to noted Pirate Lord Sazakil Poson. “Robes that generate kinetic clouds, gauntlet projectors that create haptic and sonic constructs, Bashab’s Golden Sword, for a particularly noteworthy example, which could create and manipulate nanofabricated duplicates of itself. To own such an artifact is to own exclusivity, to be striking, diverse, and powerful in a way that is rarely attainable.” Despite the enormous amounts of traffic to and from the station as prospective buyers, cautious sellers, and curious spectators alike arrive to freely trade one of the galaxy’s most controlled resources under the protection of the Cataracts, the recently founded institution has been decried by the Citadel Council and a number of cultural preservation associations. Balabsa Rule of the Greater Council Space Society for Archaeological Protection called the measure “nothing short of gross exploitation of nearly unique artifacts for the sake of base profit”. A spokeswoman from the Council confirmed that “current scientific and social norms regarding archeotech within Citadel Space will be upheld regardless of the actions of foreign parties.” Category:Cerberus Daily News Articles